System and method for providing improved non-orthogonal multiple access in a wireless communication network

ABSTRACT

This disclosure relates generally to communication network, and more particularly to a system and method for providing an improved Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) in a wireless communication network. In one embodiment, a method is provided for providing an improved NOMA in a wireless communication network. The method comprises dynamically creating a plurality of user equipment (UE) groups within a network coverage area based on at least one of a modulation coding scheme (MCS) for each UE, a received signal power at each UE, and a mobility of each UE, determining an appropriate codeword for each of the plurality of UE groups, and assigning the appropriate codeword to each of the plurality of UE groups. Each of the plurality of UE groups comprises a plurality of UE&#39;s.

This application claims the benefit of Indian Patent Application SerialNo. 201641039946 filed Nov. 23, 2016 which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to communication network, and moreparticularly to a system and method for providing an improvedNon-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) in a wireless communicationnetwork.

BACKGROUND

Mobile devices have become ubiquitous in today's world and areincreasingly used to access various communication services (e.g., voicecalls, video calls, messaging, streaming multimedia content, playinghigh definition online games, and so forth) over wireless communicationnetworks. A wireless communications network may include a number of basestations (BS's), each supporting communication for a number of mobiledevices or user equipment (UE's). A UE may communicate with a BS viadownlink and uplink. The downlink (or forward link) refers to thecommunication link from the BS to the UE, and the uplink (or reverselink) refers to the communication link from the UE to the BS. Further,the wireless communication networks may correspond to multiple-accessnetworks capable of supporting multiple users (i.e., UE's) by sharingthe available network resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power).

Conventional third generation (3G) and fourth generation (4G) wirelesscommunication networks employ various orthogonal multiple access (OMA)as multiple access techniques, such as code division multiple access(CDMA) in 3G, and frequency division multiple access (FDMA) or timedivision multiple access (TDMA) in 4G. OMA techniques involvetransmitting to multiple UE's with full power. The transmission is basedon splitting resources such as frequency in FDMA, the code in CDMA, ortime in TDMA. Such a division is intended to increase the number of UE'sthat can be catered to by the BS's. However, the ability of OMAtechnologies to meet exponentially increasing demand for mobile data islimited and the existing wireless communications networks areincreasingly getting congested. Advance wireless communication networks(advance 4G or 5G) employing multiple access techniques, such asnon-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) have the potential of meeting thedemand of increasing UE's and the quality of service (QoS) requirements,which are outstripping the ability of the aforementioned OMAtechnologies.

NOMA is a multiple access technique for encoding signals in wirelesscommunication that enables several users to use the same frequencybandwidth that is differentiated by the power allocated for each user.NOMA includes generation of codewords from a multi-dimensional codebookby using sparse code multiple access. NOMA further includes acombination of mapping quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) symbol andspreading, wherein incoming bits are directly mapped tomulti-dimensional codewords of codebook and spread over multiplesub-carriers. The same codeword may be applied or assigned to differentUE's. Each UE corresponds to each layer, which stores codeword from onecodebook. Thus, NOMA provides the mechanism for multiplexing differentlayers (i.e., signal for different UE's) during transmission of signalsby the BS. The decoding technique in case of NOMA employs use ofsuccessive interference cancellation (SIC) to detect the signals ofusers with lower powers. As will be appreciated, codeword is dataencoded using an error correcting code such as using a cyclic redundancycode (CRC). Further, as will be appreciate, a codebook is generated bypartitioning multiple codewords and assigning indices to the codewords.The codebook correlates the codewords in complex vector space. Comparedto the existing technologies, NOMA provides higher network capacity (upto 1000 times current network capacity), better connectivity (up to 100times current number of device used), higher data rate (up to 100 timescurrent packet data rate), reduced network latency (less than 1 ms) atlower cost, higher energy efficiency, and enhanced robustness.

However, existing techniques for providing NOMA has a number oflimitations. For example, existing techniques provide for assignment ofdistinct codewords from codebook to each UE in the coverage area underNOMA. However, the limited number of codewords may get exhausted in caseof number of UE's in the coverage area and those seeking admission intothe coverage area exceeds the available number of codewords. Further,such scenarios may result in undesired admission refusal of the UE's. Inother words, existing techniques are limited in supporting large numberof UE's because of the distinct codeword assignment to each UE that mayimpact the service allowance of UE's. Additionally, existing techniquesfail to provide mechanism for appropriate codeword assignment forsupporting multiple MCS simultaneously under NOMA. The BS uses amechanism for multiplexing signals for each UE with distinct codewordfor signal transmission for a specific MCS. However, this may impactmultiplexing of transmitted signals for multiple MCS simultaneously andmay further aggravate inter cell interference. Further, existingtechniques fail to provide mechanism for interference avoidance ormitigation among transmitted signals for UE with similarassigned-codeword or pattern within close proximity. This may increaseSINR impacting quality of signal reception by UE's. In other words,codeword assignment is NOMA based without supporting use of multiple MCSsimultaneously and without considering interference avoidance amongneighboring UE's. Moreover, existing techniques provide for signal powerallocation based on dynamically determined relative channel quality ofindividual UE's or UE-clusters, thereby requiring frequent change insuch determination due to UE-mobility. This may lead to inappropriateallocation of signal power to UE's and/or UE-cluster. The issue getsfurther aggravated with increased number of UE's in the coverage areaand with extent of mobility of the UE's in the coverage area.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, a method for providing an improved Non-OrthogonalMultiple Access (NOMA) in a wireless communication network is disclosed.In one example, the method comprises dynamically creating a plurality ofuser equipment (UE) groups within a network coverage area based on atleast one of a modulation coding scheme (MCS) for each UE, a receivedsignal power at each UE, and a mobility of each UE. Each of theplurality of UE groups comprises a plurality of UE's. The method furthercomprises determining an appropriate codeword for each of the pluralityof UE groups. The method further comprises assigning the appropriatecodeword to each of the plurality of UE groups.

In one embodiment, a system for providing an improved NOMA in a wirelesscommunication network is disclosed. In one example, the system comprisesat least one processor and a memory communicatively coupled to the atleast one processor. The memory stores processor-executableinstructions, which, on execution, cause the processor to dynamicallycreate a plurality of user equipment (UE) groups within a networkcoverage area based on at least one of a modulation coding scheme (MCS)for each UE, a received signal power at each UE, and a mobility of eachUE. Each of the plurality of UE groups comprises a plurality of UE's.The processor-executable instructions, on execution, further cause theprocessor to determine an appropriate codeword for each of the pluralityof UE groups. The processor-executable instructions, on execution,further cause the processor to assign the appropriate codeword to eachof the plurality of UE groups.

In one embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storingcomputer-executable instructions for providing an improved NOMA in awireless communication network is disclosed. In one example, the storedinstructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor toperform operations comprising dynamically creating a plurality of userequipment (UE) groups within a network coverage area based on at leastone of a modulation coding scheme (MCS) for each UE, a received signalpower at each UE, and a mobility of each UE. Each of the plurality of UEgroups comprises a plurality of UE's. The operations further comprisedetermining an appropriate codeword for each of the plurality of UEgroups. The operations further comprise assigning the appropriatecodeword to each of the plurality of UE groups.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory onlyand are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments and, togetherwith the description, serve to explain the disclosed principles.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary communication network architecture inwhich various embodiments of the present disclosure may function.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary evolved Node B(eNB) that may be employed as the base station (BS) in the communicationnetwork for providing an improved Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA),in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary control subsystemthat may be employed in the eNB, in accordance with some embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary radio subsystemthat may be employed in the eNB, in accordance with some embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary managementsubsystem that may be employed in the eNB, in accordance with someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process for providing animproved NOMA in a communication network, in accordance with someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of a detailed exemplary process for providingan improved NOMA in a communication network, in accordance with someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer system forimplementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Exemplary embodiments are described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. Wherever convenient, the same reference numbers are usedthroughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. Whileexamples and features of disclosed principles are described herein,modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possiblewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosedembodiments. It is intended that the following detailed description beconsidered as exemplary only, with the true scope and spirit beingindicated by the following claims.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an exemplary communication network architecturein which various embodiments of the present disclosure may function isillustrated. The communication network 100 may include one or more userequipment (UE's) 101 communicating wirelessly with various radio accessnetworks. Examples of a UE 101 may include, but are not limited to, acell phone, a smart phone, a tablet, a phablet, and a laptop. Forpurpose of illustration, the various radio access networks include, butare not limited to, a GSM EDGE radio access network (GERAN), a UMTSterrestrial radio access network (UTRAN), an evolved UMTS terrestrialradio access network (E-UTRAN), an improved E-UTRAN, and a new radioaccess networks. Each of the radio access networks include a number ofbase stations (BS) 102, each supporting communication for a number ofUE's 101 in its coverage area. It should be noted that the coverage areaof a BS 102 may be divided into sectors that constitute only a portionof the total coverage area of all the base stations combined. Further,it should be noted that there may be overlapping coverage areas fordifferent radio access networks employing different technologies. A basetransceiver station (BTS) and a base station controller (BSC) form theBS 102 for GERAN while a Node B and a radio network controller (RNC)form the BS 102 for UTRAN. Similarly, evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB)acts as the BS 102 for E-UTRAN i.e., long term evolution (LTE) network,while an improved eNB may act as the BS 102 for improved E-UTRAN i.e.,advance LTE. The depicted radio access networks are merely exemplary,and thus it will be understood that the teachings of the disclosurecontemplate other existing wireless radio access networks (e.g.,worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) network, HighSpeed Packet Access (3GPP's HSPA) network, and so forth) or any newwireless radio access networks that may employ or facilitatenon-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) as multiple access technique, inaccordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

Each of the radio access networks may be communicatively coupled with arespective core network, which in turn may communicate with externalnetworks (packet switched networks or circuit switched networks). Thecore network 103 may include a packet core which in turn may becommunicatively coupled with external packet switched networks (e.g.,Internet 104, IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) network 105, or a nextgeneration network (NGN) 105, etc.) or a circuit switched core networkwhich in turn may communicate with external circuit switched networks(e.g., public land mobile network (PLMN) 106, public switched telephonenetwork (PSTN) 106, integrated service digital network (ISDN) 106 etc.).

For example, the GERAN and the UTRAN communicate with a circuit switchedcore network comprising mobile services switching center (MSC), gatewayMSC (GMSC), home location register or visitor location register(HLR/VLR). The MSC and GMSC serve the UE 101 in its current location forcircuit switched services and are responsible for the interworking withexternal circuit switched networks. In some embodiments, the MSC andGMSC also interwork with external packet switched networks, such as IPmultimedia subsystem (IMS) network. For example, the MSC may connect toa media gateway (MGW) of the IMS network. The HLR/VLR is a mobileoperator database accessible by MSC and which includes information withrespect to users such as phone number, location within home/visitingnetwork, and so forth. Further, the GERAN and the UTRAN also communicatewith a packet core that includes serving GPRS support node (SGSN) andgateway GPRS support node (GGSN). As will be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art, a general packet radio service (GPRS) is apacket-oriented mobile data service that enables 2G and 3G cellularnetworks to transmit IP packets to external networks such as theInternet. The SGSN is a component of the GPRS network that handlesfunctions related to packet switched data within the network such aspacket routing and transfer, mobility management, charging data,authentication of the users, and so forth. Similarly, GGSN is anothercomponent of the GPRS network and is responsible for the interworkingbetween the GPRS network and external packet switched networks, such asInternet or IMS network.

Similarly, E-UTRAN communicates with an evolved packet core (EPC) thatincludes a mobility management entity (MME), a serving gateway (SGW), apacket data network gateway (PGW), a policy control and charging rulesfunction (PCRF), and a Home Subscriber Server (HSS). The MME may beresponsible for evolved packet system (EPS) session management (ESM),EPS mobility management (EMM), EPS connection management (ECM),non-access stratum, ciphering and integrity protection, inter corenetwork signaling, system architecture evolution (SAE) bearer control,handover, and so forth. The combined functionalities of the SGW and thePGW may include lawful interception (LI), packet routing and forwarding,transport level packet marking in the uplink and the downlink,accounting on user, packet filtering, mobile IP, policy enforcement, andso forth. The PGW further connects the EPC with external packet switchednetworks such as the Internet or NGN. The PCRF is responsible for policyenforcement decisions as well as for charging functionalities. The HSSis a master user database containing user subscription relatedinformation such as user identification, user profile, and so forth. TheHSS performs authentication and authorization of the user, and so forth.

The NGN 105 or IMS network 105 may include a node (e.g., media gatewaycontroller (MGC) in case of the NGN, or a serving-call session controlfunction (S-CSCF) in case of the IMS networks) that anchors the sessionand is responsible for session management, routing and control.Additionally, the node may be responsible for control and management ofmedia servers. The NGN 105 or IMS network 105 may further include amedia gateway (MGW) that enables multimedia communications acrosspacket-switched and circuit-switched networks by performing conversionsbetween different transmissions and coding techniques. In someembodiments, the NGN 105 or IMS network 105 may also include asignalling gateway that may be used for performing interworking betweensignalling protocols such as signalling system 7 (SS7) when connectingto PSTN/PLMN networks 106 and IP-based signalling protocols such asSIGTRAN which is supported by the node. It should be noted that, in someembodiments, the NGN 105 or IMS network 105 may also access and use theHSS.

The description below describes an LTE network for purposes of example,and LTE terminology is used in much of the description below. However,as stated above the techniques are applicable beyond LTE networks. Thus,the following description provides examples, and is not limiting of thescope, applicability, or configuration set forth in the claims. Changesmay be made in the function and arrangement of elements discussedwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Variousembodiments may omit, substitute, or add various procedures orcomponents as appropriate. For instance, the methods described may beperformed in an order different from that described, and various stepsmay be added, omitted, or combined. Also, features described withrespect to certain embodiments may be combined in other embodiments.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a functional block diagram of an exemplaryevolved Node B (eNB) 200 that may be employed as the BS 102 in thecommunication network 100 of FIG. 1 for providing an improved NOMA isillustrated, in accordance with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. As will be described in greater detail below, the eNB 200may be responsible for radio resource management, header compression andencryption of user data stream, packet scheduling and transmission,broadcast information transfer, physical layer processing, and so forth.In some embodiments, the eNB 200 includes a control subsystem (CSS) 201,a radio subsystem (RSS) 202, a management subsystem (MSS) 203, and adata subsystem (DSS) 204.

The CSS 201 is responsible for carrying control messages for UE's andcore network and will be described in greater detail in FIG. 3 below.The RSS 202 is responsible for radio communication with the UE's throughvarious radio specific elements. As will be appreciated, the RSS 202communicates with the UE's through a number of RF Antennas (RF Antenna 0. . . RF Antenna N). The RSS 202 will be described in greater detail inFIG. 4 below. The MSS 203 is responsible for system level management ofco-channel interference, radio resources, and other radio transmissioncharacteristics in eNB, and will be described in greater detail in FIG.5 below. The DSS 204 is responsible for carrying user traffic as well ascontrol messages for UEs in conjunction with CSS 201.

Each of these subsystems 201-204 interacts with each other and withexternal components through a number of interfaces and data paths. Forexample, a bidirectional link, U-Interface, connecting the DSS 204 tothe serving gateway (SGW) may carry the user plane data over the socketinterface. A gateway tunneling protocol (GTP-U) may be employed forcommunication to exchange user data. It should be noted that the userspace data may be data packets between multimedia servers or other usersand user multimedia applications such as video, VoIP, gaming, etc.Similarly, a bidirectional link, C-interface, connecting the CSS 201 toMME may carry the control plane information over the socket interface. AS1 application protocol (S1-AP) may be employed for communication toexchange control data. It should be noted that the control space datamay be data packets between packet core/eNB and users and may beresponsible for radio connection establishment, mobility management, andsession management (session establishment & termination). Additionally,a bidirectional link, OAM-interface, connecting the MSS 203 tooperations administration and management (OAM) subsystem may carry themanagement or configuration information over the socket interface andmay be employed to receive management or configuration information fromOAM and to provide system level feedback to OAM. A TR-69 protocol may beemployed for communication to exchange management or configuration data.It should be noted that the management or configuration data may bemanagement or configuration information from OAM subsystem that may berequired for configuration or instantiation of eNB.

Further, in an instance, a bidirectional path, transport path,connecting the DSS 204 with the RSS 202 may carry the user plane data aswell as control plane data over the message queues depending onprotocols employed (e.g., radio link control (RLC) protocol, packed dataconvergence protocol (PDCP), and medium access control (MAC) protocol).Similarly, a bidirectional path, control path, connecting the CSS 201with the RSS 202 may carry control plane information over the messagequeues using radio resource control (RRC) protocol. It should be notedthat, in some embodiments, transport path and control path may beinterchangeably used depending on the different protocols employed andmessages that they carry. Additionally, a bidirectional path,configuration path, connecting the MSS 203 with the RSS 202 may carryconfiguration information for the RSS 202 over the message queues. Insome embodiments, a Femto API (FAPI) standard may be employed forcommunication in the above referenced paths. Further, a bidirectionalpath, DSS-CSS path, connecting the DSS 204 with the CSS 201 may beemployed to send and receive control and configuration messages from CSS201. Similarly, a bidirectional path, CSS-MSS path, connecting the MSS203 with the CSS 201 may be employed for sending control instruction andconfiguration parameters to CSS 201 and receiving the system levelmeasurement data from CSS 201.

As will be appreciated, during first-time start-up, the eNB 200 performsstartup initialization by taking latest inputs of configurationparameters (e.g. from management application that may be a part of theMSS 203) and storing a copy of the received configuration parameters ina local memory of the CSS 201. During subsequent start-ups, the eNB 200performs reconfiguration of parameters. The eNB 200 checks if there hasbeen any change in eNB configuration parameters. For example, the eNB200 checks if there is any new configuration parameter by checking theexisting parameters. The eNB 200 also checks if any configurationparameter is modified by checking the parameter value. If there is nochange in configuration parameters, the eNB 200 loads configurationparameters from the local memory of CSS 201 for performingconfiguration. However, if there are changes in the configurationparameters, the CSS 201 receives configuration information of eNB fromremote storage of the management application through the MSS-CSScommunication path. The CSS 201 then takes modified configurationparameters from the management application and configures modifiedparameters in the eNB 200 and stores a copy of updated configurationparameters in the aforementioned local memory of the CSS 201.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a functional block diagram of an exemplarycontrol subsystem (CSS) 300 is illustrated, in accordance with someembodiments of the present disclosure. The CSS 300 is analogous to theCSS 201 implemented by the eNB 200 of FIG. 2. The CSS 300 includes amemory block 301 and a processing block 302. The memory block 301includes a volatile memory 303 and a non-volatile memory 304. Thevolatile memory 303 in the CSS 300 stores the control data 305 (i.e.,data for controlling the radio access and connection between network andUE). The processing block 302 uses volatile memory path to store andretrieve the control data 305 from the volatile memory 303. Thenon-volatile memory 304 in CSS 300 stores the configuration data 306received from MSS 203 which in turn stores the configuration datareceived from OAM. As will be appreciated, the configuration data 306from the MSS 203 may be employed to configure CSS 201 to make itoperational. The processing block 302 uses non-volatile memory path tostore and retrieve configuration data 306 from the non-volatile memory304.

The processing block 302 may include a single processor with themultiple partitions or independent processors working in a group andconfigured to perform various functions. For example, the processingblock 302 may include a X2AP handler 307 and a S1AP handler 308. Theprocessing block may further include an improved radio resourcecontroller (IRRC) handler 309 in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure. The S1AP handler 308 receives configuration data from MSS203 through CSS-MSS interface. The S1AP handler 308 then processes theconfigured data and stores it in the non-volatile memory 304. The S1APhandler 308 further receives control data from packet core (MME) throughS1-MME interface in downlink (DL) and from the IRRC handler 309 inuplink (UL). On receiving the data, the S1AP handler 308 processes thedata (as per 3GPP TS 36.413 specification) and performs services andfunctions that include, but are not limited to, E-RAB configuration,allocation to/release from user-service-context, initial context set-uptransfer function, determination of UE capability information, mobilityfunctions, S1 interface establishment and release, NAS signalingtransport function, S1 UE context management, and so forth. Afterprocessing the received control data packets and performing the desiredexecution, the S1AP handler 308 encodes the control data packets andsends the same to the IRRC handler 309 in DL and to the packet core(MME) through S1-MME interface in UL. A CP-DP interface may be employedto send and receive control and configuration messages to and from theDSS 204 via the CSS-DSS path.

The X2AP handler 307 receives configuration data from MSS 203 throughCSS-MSS interface. The X2AP handler 307 then processes the configureddata and stores it in the non-volatile memory 304. The X2AP handler 307further receives control data packets from IRRC handler 309 in the ULand the DL. The X2AP handler 307 also receives control data packetsthrough X2 interface from neighboring eNB's. On receiving the controldata packets, the X2AP handler 307 processes the data (as per 3GPP TS36.423 specification) and performs the services and functions thatinclude, but are not limited to, handover processing, BS loadprocessing, X2 interface establishment, eNB Configuration, and so forth.After processing the received control data packets and performing thedesired execution, the X2AP handler 307 encodes the control data packetsand sends the same to IRRC handler 309 and to neighboring eNB through X2interface.

The IRRC handler 309 receives configuration data from MSS 203 via theCSS-MSS interface, configures itself based on the configuration data,and sends different configuration parameters to the UE's through PHYinterface in DL and to the core network in UL. It should be noted thatthe PHY interface consists of transport channels in eNB and performsexchange of messages between the RSS and the CSS. The IRRC handler 309receives UL control data packets from RLC handler (not shown) and PDCPhandler (not shown) and DL control data packets from S1AP handler 308.On receiving the control data packets, the IRRC handler 309 processesthe data (as per 3GPP TS 36.331 specification) and performs services andfunctions that include, but are not limited to, system informationbroadcast for NAS and AS, paging notification, establishment,maintenance and release of an RRC connection between the UE and E-UTRAN,security handling, establishment, configuration, maintenance and releaseof point to point radio bearers, mobility decision processing, QoSmanagement functions, UE measurement configuration and report handling,NAS message transfer between UE and core network, outer loop powercontrol, and so forth. After processing the received control datapackets and performing the desired execution, the IRRC handler 309encodes the data packets and sends the same to UE handler in DL, toS1AP/X2AP handler through S1-MME interface in UL, and to neighboring eNBthrough X2 interface.

The IRRC handler 309 has connection component for handling theconnection establishment with the access network and core network.Additionally, the IRRC handler 309 has configuration component forreceiving different configuration parameters (e.g. radio configurationfor ARQ (Automatic Repeat Request), measurement configuration from MSS,etc.) so as to handle the configuration parameters for NOMAconfiguration. Further, the IRRC handler 309 has NOMA component forhandling NOMA functionality in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure. The NOMA component is responsible for providing an improvedNOMA by appropriate codeword assignment and power allocation fordifferent MCS used by UE's as well as by for providing assistance to thelatched UE's for NOMA. It should be noted that the NOMA component wouldwork with other components of control subsystem and management subsystemfor assisting UE in NOMA services. For initial configuration, the NOMAcomponent sends message through configuration API for obtaining NOMArelated configuration information. The NOMA component then keeps a localcopy of all the configuration related parameters (in persistent memoryof IRRC). In an embodiment, the NOMA related configuration informationmay have the parameters that include, but are not limited to, UE GroupTimer (Timer_(UEGroup)) and Threshold Reference Signal Received Power(RSRP) (RSRP_(th)). The UE Group Timer (Timer_(UEGroup)) may be employedto determine the duration of timer for creating or altering the UEGroup. Thus, after the expiry of Timer_(UEGroup), the UE group may beformed or modified. Alternatively, the UE group may be formed ormodified based on the exit and entry of UE in the network coverage area.The threshold RSRP (RSRP_(th)) may be employed to determine thedeviation from calculated signal power and received signal power by aUE. If RSRP in the measurement report is below threshold level then NOMAcomponent of IRRC corrects the calculated signal power.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a functional block diagram of an exemplaryradio subsystem (RSS) 400 is illustrated, in accordance with someembodiments of the present disclosure. The RSS 400 is analogous to theRSS 202 implemented by the eNB 200 of FIG. 2. The RSS 400 includes a PHYhandler (not shown), a transport block receiver or handler (TBRH) 401, aconfiguration handler (CH) 402, a configuration data non-volatile memory(NVM) block 403, a bit rate processing block (BRPB) 404, a symbol rateprocessing block (SRPB) 405, and a transceiver 406.

The PHY handler enables exchange of air interface messages between UE'sand eNB using PHY protocol. Additionally, the PHY handler interfaceswith DSS 204 and CSS 201 and offers data transport services to higherlayers. The PHY handler may be responsible for channel coding, PHYhybrid automatic repeat request (HARD) processing, modulation,multi-antenna processing, mapping of the signal to the appropriatephysical time-frequency resources, and so forth.

The TBRH 401 receives user data and control streams from the DSS in theform of transport blocks in a communication message over atransport/control path. The TBRH 401 then classifies the data ascritical and non-critical data and forwards it to BRPB 404 over the TBpath. The TB path is a uni-directional link connecting the TBRH 401 tothe BRPB 404 and carries the transport block over the message queueinterface.

The CH 402 receives configuration messages from the MSS in acommunication message over a configuration path. The CH 402 thenclassifies and stores the configuration information in the configurationdata NVM block 403. The CH 402 uses a unidirectional CH-Non-Volatilememory path to write the configuration parameters to the configurationdata NVM block 403. The configuration data is stored in the non-volatilememory in the form of structures which is accessible to rest of the RSS400 modules.

The BRPB 404 receives the transport blocks from the TBRH 401 in acommunication message. The BRPB 404 then processes the receivedtransport blocks as per the 3GPP TS 36.212 standard. For example, theBRBP 404 calculates the cyclic redundancy check (CRC) and attaches thesame to the transport block. If the transport block size is larger thanthe maximum allowable code block size, such as a block size of 6,144bits, a code block segmentation may be performed. Consequently, a newCRC may be calculated and attached to each code block before channelencoding (turbo encoding) provides a high-performanceforward-error-correction scheme for reliable transmission. The BRBP 404further performs rate matching (i.e., puncturing or repetition to matchthe rate of the available physical channel resource), and HARQ so as toprovide a robust retransmission scheme when the user fails to receivethe correct data. Additionally, bit scrambling may be performed aftercode-block concatenation to reduce the length of strings of 0's or 1'sin a transmitted signal to avoid synchronization issues at the receiverbefore modulation. The code blocks may be forwarded to symbol rateprocessor over the CB path. The CB path corresponds to a uni-directionallink connecting the BRPB 404 to the SRPB 405 and carries the code wordsover the message queue interface. A BRPB-Non-Volatile memory path may beemployed to connect the BRPB 404 with the non-volatile memory where theconfiguration data may be stored.

The SRPB 405 receives code blocks in a communication message from BRPB404 over the CB path. The SRPB 405 then processes the received codeblocks as per the 3GPP TS 36.212 standard. The SRPB 405 processes thecode blocks by converting them to modulation symbols. It should be notedthat various modulation schemes (quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK),16-quadrature amplitude modulation (16-QAM), or 64-QAM) may be employed.The modulation symbols may then be mapped to layers and precodingsupports for multi-antenna transmission. The modulation symbols may beforwarded over a uni-directional high speed modulation symbols path tothe transceiver 406 for transmission. A SRPB-Non-Volatile memory pathmay be employed to connect the SRPB 405 with the non-volatile memorywhere the configuration data may be stored.

The transceiver 406 receives modulation symbols over the modulationsymbols path. The transceiver 406 then processes the received codeblocks as per the 3GPP TS 36.212 standard. For example, the transceivermaps the modulation symbols to resource elements for providing NOMA. Theresource elements may then be mapped to each antenna port and sent forair transmission through a number of RF Antennas (RF Antenna 0 . . . RFAntenna N).

Referring now to FIG. 5, a functional block diagram of an exemplarymanagement subsystem (MSS) 500 is illustrated, in accordance with someembodiments of the present disclosure. The MSS 500 is analogous to theMSS 203 implemented by the eNB 200 of FIG. 2. The MSS 500 includes amemory block 501 and a processing block 502. The memory block 501includes a volatile memory 503 and a non-volatile memory 504. Thevolatile memory 503 in the MSS 500 stores the system level measurementdata 505 provided by the CSS. The measurement data 505 represents thedifferent measurement metrics collected from UE and calculated by CSS,DSS and RSS. These data 505 may be used to monitor the prevalent radionetwork condition so as to take appropriate radio network managementdecisions. Further, these data 505 may be used to take decision by aradio resource management (RRM) handler as discussed below. Theprocessing block 502 uses volatile memory path to store and retrieve themeasurement data 505 from the volatile memory 503. The non-volatilememory 504 in MSS 500 stores the configuration data 506 received fromOAM. These data 506 represents the configuration information from OAMsubsystem towards eNB required for configuration, updating existingconfiguration, instantiation of eNB's. The processing block 502 accessesthe configuration data and configures the CSS, the DSS, and the RSSthrough MSS-CSS Interface. It should be noted that a portion of thenon-volatile memory can persist across system-start-up cycles. Theprocessing block 502 uses non-volatile memory path to store and retrieveconfiguration data 506 from the non-volatile memory 504.

The processing block 502 may include a single processor with themultiple partitions or independent processors working in a group andconfigured to perform various functions. For example, the processingblock 502 may include a configuration handler 507 and a RRM handler 508.The configuration handler 507 handles the overall configuration of thewhole eNB. The configuration handler 507 performs the services andfunctions, that include, but are not limited to, reception ofconfiguration parameters from OAM and storage of configurationparameters at non-volatile memory during start up, interfacing with theCSS, the DSS, and the RSS, configuration of the CSS, the DSS, and theRSS with the configuration parameters stored at non-volatile Memory,reception of reconfiguration parameters from OAM, reconfiguration of theCSS, the DSS and the RSS, providing feedback to OAM to help OAM changein any configuration parameter, and so forth.

The RRM handler 508 takes management decision to efficiently run the eNBand includes a self-organizing network (SON) submodule 509, an admissioncontrol submodule 510, a power control submodule 511, a handover controlsubmodule 512, and an interference control submodule 513. The SONsubmodule 509 performs various functions to (re)organize the eNB in adynamically changing network topology. These functions include, but arenot limited to, physical cell identity (PCI) self-configuration andself-optimization, automatic neighbor relation (ANR) management and X2link auto creation, cell outage detection, cell coverage optimization,collecting live measurement metrics to provide feedback to the OAMsubsystem about current condition of the network, and so forth. Itshould be noted that any decision is taken based on configuration dataand measurement data stored in MSS. The admission control submodule 510analyzes the current network load and the user capability so as to allowthe user connectivity into the network. The power control submodule 511analyzes different network condition to decide on the transmission powerthat has to be used by the eNB. The handover control submodule 512analyzes the measurement data for different neighbor eNB to decide onthe target eNB for the handover purpose. The interference controlsubmodule 513 analyzes the measurement data for different neighboringeNB and reconfigures the eNB to reduce interference from other eNB's.

It should be noted that, apart from the CSS 300 and MSS 500, some of theother modules, subsystems, or network elements may have to be modifiedso as to implement and/or provide improved NOMA in the communicationnetwork. For example, network elements responsible for providingconfiguration parameters (e.g., OAM in MIME) or modules responsible fortransmission of modulation symbols (e.g., transceiver in RSS) may beaccordingly modified within the aspects of the present disclosure.

Further, it should be noted that the above discussed subsystems (CSS300, RSS 400, MSS 500, etc.) and their modules may be implemented inprogrammable hardware devices such as programmable gate arrays,programmable array logic, programmable logic devices, and so forth.Alternatively, the subsystems and modules may be implemented in softwarefor execution by various types of processors. An identified engine ofexecutable code may, for instance, include one or more physical orlogical blocks of computer instructions which may, for instance, beorganized as an object, procedure, function, module, or other construct.Nevertheless, the executables of an identified engine need not bephysically located together, but may include disparate instructionsstored in different locations which, when joined logically together,include the engine and achieve the stated purpose of the engine. Indeed,an engine of executable code may be a single instruction, or manyinstructions, and may even be distributed over several different codesegments, among different applications, and across several memorydevices.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, a variety of processesmay be employed for providing an improved NOMA in a wirelesscommunication network. For example, the exemplary communication network100 and the associated base station (such as eNB 200) may facilitateimplementation of improved NOMA by the processes discussed herein. Inparticular, as will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in theart, control logic and/or automated routines for performing thetechniques and steps described herein may be implemented by componentsof the communication network 100 (e.g., the base station 102), either byhardware, software, or combinations of hardware and software. Forexample, a suitable code may be accessed and executed by the one or moreprocessors on the BS 102 to perform some or all of the techniquesdescribed herein. Similarly, application specific integrated circuits(ASICs) configured to perform some or all of the processes describedherein may be included in the one or more processors on the BS 102.Additionally, it should be noted that though the process described belowfocuses on eNB, the process may also be equally applicable to other basestation and will follow substantially similar principles withappropriate modifications in the control and management subsystems aswell as any other associated subsystems.

For example, referring now to FIG. 6, exemplary control logic 600 forproviding improved NOMA in a communication network 100 via a system,such as the BS 102 (e.g., eNB 200), is depicted via a flowchart, inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Asillustrated in the flowchart, the control logic 600 includes the stepsof dynamically creating a plurality of user equipment (UE) groups withina network coverage area of a base station (BS) based on at least one ofa modulation coding scheme (MCS) for each UE, a received signal power ateach UE, and a mobility of each UE at step 601, determining anappropriate codeword for each of the plurality of UE groups at step 602,and assigning the appropriate codeword to each of the plurality of UEgroups at step 603. It should be noted that each of the plurality of UEgroups includes a plurality of UE's.

In some embodiments, the control logic 600 further includes the step ofinitializing the BS with a plurality of configuration parameters. Insome embodiments, the control logic 600 further includes the steps ofdetermining a signal power for each of the plurality of UE groups basedon the corresponding appropriate codeword, and allocating the signalpower to each of the plurality of UE groups. In some embodiments,allocating includes transmitting the signal power to each UE within a UEgroup for each of the plurality of UE groups, and validating a signalpower received at each UE based on a pre-configured threshold power. Insome embodiments, validating includes determining a deviation of thesignal power received at each UE from the signal power determined forcorresponding UE group, and comparing the deviation against thepre-configured threshold power.

In some embodiments, the plurality of UE groups may be dynamicallycreated at step 601 at a pre-configured periodic interval.Alternatively, in some embodiments, the plurality of UE groups may bedynamically created at step 601 upon admission of a new UE into thenetwork coverage area or upon exit of an existing UE from the networkcoverage area. In some embodiments, dynamically creating at step 601includes determining a validity of each of the plurality of UE groupsbased on a change in at least one of the MCS for each UE, the receivedsignal power at each UE, the mobility of each UE in each of theplurality of UE groups. In some embodiments, dynamically creating atstep 601 further includes determining an appropriateness of each of theplurality of valid UE groups based on a change in the appropriatecodeword for each UE in each of the plurality of valid UE groups.Additionally, in some embodiments, dynamically creating at step 601includes determining a number of UE's within the network coverage area,categorizing at least one of a MCS level, a power level of the basestation, and a mobility state, determining at least one of the MCS foreach UE, the received signal power at each UE, the mobility of each UE,and dynamically creating the plurality of UE groups based on acommonality of at least one of the MCS level, the power level of thebase station, and the mobility state.

In some embodiments, determining the appropriate codeword at step 602includes determining a plurality of available codewords from a codebook.Additionally, in some embodiments, determining the appropriate codewordat step 602 includes correlating, for each of the plurality of UEgroups, a codeword for each UE with a codeword for each of the otherUE's in a corresponding UE group. Further, in some embodiments,determining the appropriate codeword at step 602 is based on at leastone of a received signal power for each of the plurality of UE groups,and a signal to interference noise ratio (SINR) of each of the pluralityof UE groups.

Referring now to FIG. 7, exemplary control logic 700 for providing animproved NOMA in a communication network 100 is depicted in greaterdetail via a flowchart, in accordance with some embodiments of thepresent disclosure. As illustrated in the flowchart, the control logic700 includes the steps of initializing the base station (BS) at step701, dynamically creating UE groups at step 702, determining appropriatecodeword for each groups at step 703, assigning appropriate codeword toeach UE group at step 704, and allocating appropriate signal power toeach UE group at step 705. Each of these steps will be described ingreater detail herein below. It should be noted that the exemplarycontrol logic 700 is described mainly with respect to improved eNBdiscussed above. However, as will be appreciated by those skilled in theart, the exemplary control logic 700 may be equally applicable to otherBS's and will follow substantially similar logic with appropriatemodifications and improvements.

In some embodiments, initializing the BS at step 701 includesinitializing BS during first time start-up of the base station at step706. For example, during the first time start-up of improved eNB,configuration component of IRRC performs start-up initialization. Duringinitialization, configuration component of IRRC performs the steps thatinclude, but are not limited to, receiving latest inputs ofconfiguration parameters (e.g. from management application or MSS),configuring received parameters in the configuration component, andstoring the received configuration parameters in local memory of theconfiguration component.

In some embodiments, initializing the base station at step 701 includesinitializing the BS during subsequent start-up of the base station atstep 707. For example, during subsequent start-ups of eNB, theconfiguration component of IRRC performs reconfiguration. Theconfiguration component checks if there has been any change in IRRCconfiguration parameters. It checks if there is any new configurationparameter by checking the existing parameters. It also checks if anyconfiguration parameter is modified by checking the parameter value. Ifthere is change in configuration parameter(s), the configurationcomponent of IRRC receives configuration information from managementapplication through a communication interface (e.g., MSS-CSS interface).It then performs steps that include, but are not limited to, receivinglatest inputs of configuration parameters from management application orMSS, configuring latest parameters in the configuration component, andstoring the latest configuration parameters in local memory of theconfiguration component. However, if there is no change in configurationparameter(s), the configuration component of IRRC loads localconfiguration from store to own memory for configuring the configurationcomponent.

In some embodiments, dynamically creating UE groups at step 702 includescreating new UE groups at step 708. As stated above, the UE groups maybe created within a network coverage area of the BS based on at leastone of a modulation coding scheme (MCS) for each UE, a received signalpower at each UE, and a mobility of each UE. The creation of UE groupsbased on MCS includes the steps of determining a total number of UE's(UE(n)) within the network coverage area, categorizing the different MCSlevels (MCS1, MCS2, MCS3, MCS4, . . . , MCSn), determining the MCS ofeach of the UE's, and creating a group UEGRmcs based on a commonality ofMCS levels. Similarly, the creation of UE groups based on signal powerincludes the steps of determining a total number of UE's (UE(n)) withinthe network coverage area, categorizing the different power levels of BS(PWR1, PWR2, PWR3, PWR4, . . . , PWRn), determining the received powerof each of the UE's, and creating a group UEGRpwr based on a commonalityof threshold power levels. Further, creation of UE groups based on UEmobility includes the steps of determining a total number of UE's(UE(n)) within the network coverage area, categorizing the differentmobility states (MS1, MS2, MS3, MS4, . . . , MSn), determining the stateof mobility of each of the UE's, and creating a group UEGRms based on acommonality of mobility state.

Further, a consolidated UE group may be determined based on acommonality of the mobility state, the signal power, and the MCS asdepicted in equation (1):UEGR _(cons) =UEGR _(ms) ∩UEGR _(pwr) ∩UEGR _(mcs), where the symbol“∩”refers to an intersection of the mentioned groups  (1)

Additionally, a consolidated UE group is determined based on acommonality of at least two of the mobility state, the signal power, andthe MCS as depicted in the equations (2) to (4):UEGR _(cons_(pwr,mcs)) =UEGR _(pwr) ∩UEGR _(mcs) −UEGR _(cons), forcommonality of received power and MCS  (2)UEGR _(cons_(ms,pwr)) =UEGR _(ms) ∩UEGR _(pwr) −UEGR _(cons), forcommonality of mobility state and received power  (3)UEGR _(cons_(ms,mcs)) =UEGR _(ms) ∩UEGR _(mcs) −UEGR _(cons), forcommonality of mobility state and MCS  (4)

In some embodiments, dynamically creating UE groups at step 702 includesre-creating UE groups for all invalid and non-appropriate UE groups atpre-configured periodic intervals at step 709. For example, upon expiryof pre-provisioned or pre-configured timer (Timer_(UEGroup)), the IRRCmay checks the validity of each of the existing UE groups and may setthe validity-flag as ‘VALID’ if the existing UE group is found to bevalid. In instances, when the existing groups are found to be invalid,the IRRC sets the validity-flag as ‘INVALID’. In an embodiment, the IRRCchecks the validity of each of the existing UE groups based on thefollowing steps:

-   -   i) For an existing UE-group,    -   ii) Check if MCS of any UE in the UE group has changed. If true        consider that UE group as INVALID and go to step (v), else        consider that UE group as VALID and go to step (iii);    -   iii) Check if received signal of any UE in the UE group has        changed. If true consider that UE group as INVALID and go to        step (v), else consider that UE group as VALID and go to step        (iv);    -   iv) Check if mobility state of any UE in the UE group has        changed. If true consider that UE group as INVALID and go to        step (v), else consider that UE group as VALID and go to step        (vi);    -   v) Create an INVALID UEgroup (UEgroup_(Invalid)) and go to step        (vi);    -   vi) Repeat steps (i)-(v) until all existing UE groups has been        considered (i.e., UE-group<number of UE-groups)

The NOMA component of the IRRC then checks appropriateness of thecodeword allocation for each of the existing ‘VALID’ UE groups. The NOMAcomponent further sets the appropriateness-flag as ‘APPROPRIATE’ for thecorresponding VALID UE group in instances when the codeword allocationis found to be proper. The NOMA component sets the appropriateness-flagas ‘NOT APPROPRIATE’ for the corresponding VALID UE group in instanceswhen the codeword allocation is not proper. It should be noted that, insome embodiments, the appropriateness-flag may not be a separate flag initself but same as the validity-flag. Thus, in such embodiments, theNOMA component of the IRRC may set the validity-flag as ‘VALID’ ifappropriateness of the codeword allocation for each of the existing‘VALID’ UE groups is found appropriate or else sets the validity-flag as‘INVALID’ if found inappropriate. In some embodiments, the NOMAcomponent of IRRC checks the validity or appropriateness of each of theexisting VALID UE groups based on the following steps:

-   -   i) For an existing VALID UE-group,    -   ii) Check if codeword of any UE in the UE group has changed. If        true consider that UE group as NOT APPROPRIATE or INVALID and go        to step (iii), else consider that UE group as APPROPRIATE or        VALID and go to step (iv);    -   iii) Create a NOT APPROPRIATE (UEgroup_(NotAppropriate)) or an        INVALID UEgroup (UEgroup_(Invalid)) and go to step (vi);    -   iv) Repeat steps (i)-(iii) until all existing VALID UEgroups has        been considered (i.e., UE-group<number of VALID UE-groups)

The UE groups are then re-created for all the invalid andnot-appropriate UE-groups. For example, in some embodiments, the NOMAcomponent of IRRC receives the invalid UE groups (UEgroup_(Invalid)) andnot-appropriate UE groups (UEgroup_(NotAppropriate)). The NOMA componentof IRRC then performs re-creation of groups from the affected groups(i.e., UEgroup_(Invalid) and UEgroup_(NotAppropriate)) via the processdescribed at step 708 above.

In some embodiments, dynamically creating UE groups at step 702 includesre-creating UE groups for all invalid and non-appropriate UE groups uponadmission or exit of any UE from the network coverage area at step 710.For example, the IRRC dynamically identifies any admission of new UEinto the network coverage area and/or any exit of existing UE from thenetwork coverage area via an UE-entry-exit-list. The IRRC then checksthe validity of each of the existing UE groups via the process describedat step 709 above. The IRRC sets the validity-flag as ‘VALID’ if theexisting UE group is found valid. In case the existing UE group is notfound to be valid, the IRRC else sets the validity-flag as ‘INVALID’.The NOMA component of the IRRC then checks appropriateness of thecodeword allocation for each of the existing ‘VALID’ UE groups via theprocess described at step 709 above. The NOMA component of the IRRC setsthe appropriateness-flag as ‘APPROPRIATE’ for the corresponding VALID UEgroup if codeword allocation is found to proper or else sets theappropriateness-flag as ‘NOT APPROPRIATE’. Again, it should be notedthat, in some embodiments, the appropriateness-flag may not be aseparate flag in itself but same as the validity-flag. Thus, in suchembodiments, the NOMA component of the IRRC sets the validity-flag as‘VALID’ if appropriateness of the codeword allocation for each of theexisting ‘VALID’ UE groups is found appropriate or else sets thevalidity-flag as ‘INVALID’.

The UE groups are then re-created or modified for all the invalid andnot-appropriate UE-groups as well as for all the newly-admitted UEand/or exited UE form UE-entry-exit-list. For example, in someembodiments, the NOMA component of IRRC checks if any new UE is admittedin the coverage area of network. The NOMA component of IRRC thenperforms re-creation of groups for each newly-admitted UE via theprocess described at step 708 above. Similarly, the NOMA component ofIRRC checks if any UE has exited from the coverage area of network. TheNOMA component of IRRC then performs re-creation of groups for eachexited UE via the process described at step 708 above. The process of UEgroup re-creation or modification is performed till all the UE's in theUE-entry-exit-list have been considered.

In some embodiments, determining appropriate codeword for each UE groupsat step 703 includes determining appropriate codeword for all newlycreated UE groups as well as for all the re-created UE groups. In someembodiments, the determination of appropriate codeword for a UE Group(UEGR_(ms), UEGR_(pwr), and UEGR_(mcs)) may be performed by finding theavailable codewords from codebook, and determining an appropriatecodeword for the UE Group. Further, in some embodiments, thedetermination of appropriate codeword for a UE Group (UEGR_(cons),UEGR_(cons_(pwr, mcs)), UEGR_(cons_(ms, pwr)), andUEGR_(cons_(ms, mcs))) may be performed by correlating a codeword foreach UE with a codeword for each of the other UE's in a corresponding UEgroup. For example, for each UE of UEGR_(cons), codeword CW_(cons) maybe determined based on commonality. Such a determination may involvedetermining maximum codeword co-relation of each UE with the remainingUE in the group for commonality, in accordance with the equation (5):CW _(cr_cons)=Max(CW _(cons) ,CW _(cons_oth))  (5)

The codeword CW_(cons) to be used for each UE in the group UEGR_(cons)is then determined based on the maximum co-relation CW_(cr_cons).Similarly, for each UE of UEGR_(cons_(pwr, mcs)), the codeword CW_(pwr)may be determined based on received power. Such a determination mayinvolve determining maximum codeword co-relation of each UE with theremaining UE in the group for power, in accordance with the equation(6):CW _(cr_pwr)=Max(CW _(pwr) ,CW _(pwr_oth))  (6)

The codeword CW_(pwr) to be used for each UE in the groupUEGR_(cons_(pwr, mcs)) may be determined based on the maximumco-relation CW_(cr_pwr). Further, for each UE of UEGR_(cons_(ms, pwr)),the codeword CW_(ms) may be determined based on mobility state. Such adetermination may involve determining maximum codeword co-relation ofeach UE with the remaining UE in the group for mobility, in accordancewith the equation (7):CW _(cr_ms)=Max(CW _(ms) ,CW _(ms_oth))  (7)

The codeword CW_(ms) to be used for each UE in the groupUEGR_(cons_(ms, pwr)) may be determined based on the maximum co-relationCW_(cr_ms). Further, for each UE of UEGR_(cons_(ms, mcs)), the codewordCW_(mcs) may be determined based on MCS. Such a determination mayinvolve determining maximum codeword co-relation of each UE with theremaining UE in the group for MCS, in accordance with the equation (8):CW _(cr_mcs)=Max(CW _(mcs) ,CW _(mcs_oth))  (8)

The codeword CW_(mcs) to be used for each UE in the groupUEGR_(cons_(ms, mcs)) may be determined based on the maximum co-relationCW_(cr_mcs). It should be noted that the maximum co-relation refers tominimum difference in codeword pattern.

In some embodiments, assigning the appropriate codeword to each UE groupat step 704 includes assigning the codeword determined via the processdescribed in step 703 to the corresponding UE groups. As will beappreciated, the determination and allocation of appropriate code isperformed for all newly created UE groups or for all the re-created UEgroups. For example, in some embodiments, the NOMA component of IRRCchecks if the UE group created (newly created or re-created) isappropriate and if the codeword allocation is appropriate. If the UEgroup created is invalid or not appropriate, then the UE groups arere-created via the process described in step 702. Further, if thecodeword allocation is inappropriate then the NOMA component performscodeword re-assignment (i.e., determination and allocation ofappropriate codeword) via the process described at steps 703 and 704above. The process iteratively continues during the operation cycle ofthe base station. Further, as noted above, the process iterates at apre-configured periodic interval, upon admission of a new UE into thenetwork coverage area, or upon exit of an existing UE from the networkcoverage area.

In some embodiments, allocating appropriate signal power to each UEgroup at step 705 includes determining signal power for each UE groupsat step 711. As will be appreciated, the determination is made by theNOMA component of IRRC based on the appropriate codeword aftersuccessfully creating UE Groups and assigning appropriate keywords foreach UE group. For example, for each UE in UEGR_(cons), the signal powerSigPow_(cons) is determined based on codeword CW_(cons). Similarly, foreach UE in UEGR_(cons_(pwr, mcs)), the signal power SigPow_(pwr) isdetermined based on codeword CW_(pwr). Further, for each UE inUEGR_(cons_(ms, pwr)), the signal power SigPow_(ms) is determined basedon codeword CW_(ms). Further, for each UE in UEGR_(cons_(ms, mcs)), thesignal power SigPow_(mcs) may be determined based on codeword CW_(mcs).

In some embodiments, allocating appropriate signal power to each UEgroup at step 705 further includes transmitting the determined signalpower to each UE in the UE group for allocation at step 712. In someembodiments, after determination of signal power (for commonality, MCS,power, and mobility) at step 711, the NOMA component of IRRC sends theinformation to PHY subsystem for power transmission.

In some embodiments, allocating appropriate signal power to each UEgroup at step 705 further includes validating signal power received ateach UE within the UE group at step 713. Thus, after transmission of thepower signal for each UE in the UE group, validation is performed tocheck whether the signal power is correctly determined by appropriatecodeword assignment. In some embodiments, after allocation the signalpower by PHY subsystem, the NOMA component of IRRC checks the receivedpower (PowRec) by UE by feedback mechanism using channel stateinformation. For example, the NOMA component determines deviation insignal power for commonality (SigPow_(Dev_cons)), MCS(SigPow_(Dev_mcs)), received power (SigPow_(Dev_pwr)), and mobility(SigPow_(Dev_mob)) based on the equations (9) to (12):SigPow_(Dev_cons)=|PowRec−SigPow_(cons)|  (9)SigPow_(Dev_mcs)=|PowRec−SigPow_(mcs)|  (10)SigPow_(Dev_pwr)=|PowRec−SigPow_(pwr)|  (11)SigPow_(Dev_mob)=|PowRec−SigPow_(mob)|  (12)where the operator “∥” refers to the mathematical modulus operator.

In instances, when the SigPow_(Dev_cons), SigPow_(Dev_mcs),SigPow_(Dev_pwr), or SigPow_(Dev_mob) is greater than the pre-configuredor pre-provisioned threshold RSRP (RSRP_(th)), then the process goesback to step 703 for determination of appropriate codeword such that theallocated signal power is appropriate.

Thus, the techniques described in the embodiments discussed aboveprovide for appropriate codeword determination for supporting largernumber of UE's in the coverage area of BS. As discussed in step 702,this may be enabled by periodic segregation of UE's to from UE groupsbased on mobility (speed and location) of UE's in network coverage incase of UE's under movement, received signal strength at UE's from BS,and modulation coding scheme (MCS) for each UE. Further, as discussed insteps 703 and 704, this may be enabled by allocation of appropriatecodeword to different UE groups to be used by all UE's in a group.Allocation of appropriate codeword to UE group provides accommodationfor more numbers of UE's for same available set of codewords as therecan be multiple UE's in groups using same codeword (codeword reusewithin a group). This will enable support to large number of UE's withinthe network coverage area. As discussed above, the allocation ofappropriate codeword is based on received signal strength (RSRP) for theUE group, and signal to interference noise ratio (SINR) of the UE group.

Further, the techniques described in the embodiments discussed aboveprovide for appropriate signal power allocation supporting multiple MCSsimultaneously. As discussed in step 705, this may be enabled by optimalsignal power transmission by BS based on appropriate codeword assignmentto UE group by taking into consideration RSRP and multiple MCSsimultaneously. Further, as discussed in steps 703, 704, and 705, thetechniques described in the embodiments discussed above minimizes SINRamong UE's in the proximity. This is enabled by taking into account SINRwhile determining appropriate codeword as well as by allocating signalpower based on the appropriate codeword.

As will be also appreciated, the above described techniques may take theform of computer or controller implemented processes and apparatuses forpracticing those processes. The disclosure can also be embodied in theform of computer program code containing instructions embodied intangible media, such as floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, hard drives, or anyother computer-readable storage medium, wherein, when the computerprogram code is loaded into and executed by a computer or controller,the computer becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention. Thedisclosure may also be embodied in the form of computer program code orsignal, for example, whether stored in a storage medium, loaded intoand/or executed by a computer or controller, or transmitted over sometransmission medium, such as over electrical wiring or cabling, throughfiber optics, or via electromagnetic radiation, wherein, when thecomputer program code is loaded into and executed by a computer, thecomputer becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention. Whenimplemented on a general-purpose microprocessor, the computer programcode segments configure the microprocessor to create specific logiccircuits.

The disclosed methods and systems may be implemented on a conventionalor a general-purpose computer system, such as a personal computer (PC)or server computer. Referring now to FIG. 8, a block diagram of anexemplary computer system 801 for implementing embodiments consistentwith the present disclosure is illustrated. Variations of computersystem 801 may be used for implementing components of communicationnetwork 100, the eNB 200, and various components of eNB 300, 400, 500for providing improved NOMA in the communication network. Computersystem 801 may include a central processing unit (“CPU” or “processor”)802. Processor 802 may include at least one data processor for executingprogram components for executing user- or system-generated requests. Auser may include a person, a person using a device such as such as thoseincluded in this disclosure, or such a device itself. The processor mayinclude specialized processing units such as integrated system (bus)controllers, memory management control units, floating point units,graphics processing units, digital signal processing units, etc. Theprocessor may include a microprocessor, such as AMD Athlon, Duron orOpteron, ARM's application, embedded or secure processors, IBM PowerPC,Intel's Core, Itanium, Xeon, Celeron or other line of processors, etc.The processor 802 may be implemented using mainframe, distributedprocessor, multi-core, parallel, grid, or other architectures. Someembodiments may utilize embedded technologies like application-specificintegrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), FieldProgrammable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), etc.

Processor 802 may be disposed in communication with one or moreinput/output (I/O) devices via I/O interface 803. The I/O interface 803may employ communication protocols/methods such as, without limitation,audio, analog, digital, monoaural, RCA, stereo, IEEE-1394, serial bus,universal serial bus (USB), infrared, PS/2, BNC, coaxial, component,composite, digital visual interface (DVI), high-definition multimediainterface (HDMI), RF antennas, S-Video, VGA, IEEE 802.n/b/g/n/x,Bluetooth, cellular (e.g., code-division multiple access (CDMA),high-speed packet access (HSPA+), global system for mobilecommunications (GSM), long-term evolution (LTE), WiMax, or the like),etc.

Using the I/O interface 803, the computer system 801 may communicatewith one or more I/O devices. For example, the input device 804 may bean antenna, keyboard, mouse, joystick, (infrared) remote control,camera, card reader, fax machine, dongle, biometric reader, microphone,touch screen, touchpad, trackball, sensor (e.g., accelerometer, lightsensor, GPS, gyroscope, proximity sensor, or the like), stylus, scanner,storage device, transceiver, video device/source, visors, etc. Outputdevice 805 may be a printer, fax machine, video display (e.g., cathoderay tube (CRT), liquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode(LED), plasma, or the like), audio speaker, etc. In some embodiments, atransceiver 806 may be disposed in connection with the processor 802.The transceiver may facilitate various types of wireless transmission orreception. For example, the transceiver may include an antennaoperatively connected to a transceiver chip (e.g., Texas InstrumentsWiLink WL1283, Broadcom BCM4750IUB8, Infineon Technologies X-Gold618-PMB9800, or the like), providing IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth, FM,global positioning system (GPS), 2G/3G HSDPA/HSUPA communications, etc.

In some embodiments, the processor 802 may be disposed in communicationwith a communication network 808 via a network interface 807. Thenetwork interface 807 may communicate with the communication network808. The network interface may employ connection protocols including,without limitation, direct connect, Ethernet (e.g., twisted pair10/100/1000 Base T), transmission control protocol/internet protocol(TCP/IP), token ring, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/x, etc. The communicationnetwork 808 may include, without limitation, a direct interconnection,local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), wireless network(e.g., using Wireless Application Protocol), the Internet, etc. Usingthe network interface 807 and the communication network 808, thecomputer system 801 may communicate with devices 809, 810, and 811.These devices may include, without limitation, personal computer(s),server(s), fax machines, printers, scanners, various mobile devices suchas cellular telephones, smartphones (e.g., Apple iPhone, Blackberry,Android-based phones, etc.), tablet computers, eBook readers (AmazonKindle, Nook, etc.), laptop computers, notebooks, gaming consoles(Microsoft Xbox, Nintendo DS, Sony PlayStation, etc.), or the like. Insome embodiments, the computer system 801 may itself embody one or moreof these devices.

In some embodiments, the processor 802 may be disposed in communicationwith one or more memory devices (e.g., RAM 813, ROM 814, etc.) via astorage interface 812. The storage interface may connect to memorydevices including, without limitation, memory drives, removable discdrives, etc., employing connection protocols such as serial advancedtechnology attachment (SATA), integrated drive electronics (IDE),IEEE-1394, universal serial bus (USB), fiber channel, small computersystems interface (SCSI), etc. The memory drives may further include adrum, magnetic disc drive, magneto-optical drive, optical drive,redundant array of independent discs (RAID), solid-state memory devices,solid-state drives, etc.

The memory devices may store a collection of program or databasecomponents, including, without limitation, an operating system 816, userinterface application 817, web browser 818, mail server 819, mail client820, user/application data 821 (e.g., any data variables or data recordsdiscussed in this disclosure), etc. The operating system 816 mayfacilitate resource management and operation of the computer system 801.Examples of operating systems include, without limitation, AppleMacintosh OS X, Unix, Unix-like system distributions (e.g., BerkeleySoftware Distribution (BSD), FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, etc.), Linuxdistributions (e.g., Red Hat, Ubuntu, Kubuntu, etc.), IBM OS/2,Microsoft Windows (XP, Vista/7/8, etc.), Apple iOS, Google Android,Blackberry OS, or the like. User interface 817 may facilitate display,execution, interaction, manipulation, or operation of program componentsthrough textual or graphical facilities. For example, user interfacesmay provide computer interaction interface elements on a display systemoperatively connected to the computer system 801, such as cursors,icons, check boxes, menus, scrollers, windows, widgets, etc. Graphicaluser interfaces (GUIs) may be employed, including, without limitation,Apple Macintosh operating systems' Aqua, IBM OS/2, Microsoft Windows(e.g., Aero, Metro, etc.), Unix X-Windows, web interface libraries(e.g., ActiveX, Java, Javascript, AJAX, HTML, Adobe Flash, etc.), or thelike.

In some embodiments, the computer system 801 may implement a web browser818 stored program component. The web browser may be a hypertext viewingapplication, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, MozillaFirefox, Apple Safari, etc. Secure web browsing may be provided usingHTTPS (secure hypertext transport protocol), secure sockets layer (SSL),Transport Layer Security (TLS), etc. Web browsers may utilize facilitiessuch as AJAX, DHTML, Adobe Flash, JavaScript, Java, applicationprogramming interfaces (APIs), etc. In some embodiments, the computersystem 801 may implement a mail server 819 stored program component. Themail server may be an Internet mail server such as Microsoft Exchange,or the like. The mail server may utilize facilities such as ASP,ActiveX, ANSI C++/C#, Microsoft .NET, CGI scripts, Java, JavaScript,PERL, PHP, Python, WebObjects, etc. The mail server may utilizecommunication protocols such as internet message access protocol (IMAP),messaging application programming interface (MAPI), Microsoft Exchange,post office protocol (POP), simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP), or thelike. In some embodiments, the computer system 801 may implement a mailclient 820 stored program component. The mail client may be a mailviewing application, such as Apple Mail, Microsoft Entourage, MicrosoftOutlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, etc.

In some embodiments, computer system 801 may store user/application data821, such as the data, variables, records, etc. (e.g., user data,control data, configuration data, UE group timer, RSRP threshold,UE-entry-exit list, and so forth) as described in this disclosure. Suchdatabases may be implemented as fault-tolerant, relational, scalable,secure databases such as Oracle or Sybase. Alternatively, such databasesmay be implemented using standardized data structures, such as an array,hash, linked list, struct, structured text file (e.g., XML), table, oras object-oriented databases (e.g., using ObjectStore, Poet, Zope,etc.). Such databases may be consolidated or distributed, sometimesamong the various computer systems discussed above in this disclosure.It is to be understood that the structure and operation of the anycomputer or database component may be combined, consolidated, ordistributed in any working combination.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the techniques,described in the various embodiments discussed above, provide forimproved NOMA with appropriate codeword assignment for supporting largenumber of UE's in the coverage area while optimizing signal powertransmission in a wireless communication network. The techniquesmaximize support to number of UE's in the coverage area by optimizinguse/reuse of codeword for a group of UE's within network coverage area.In other words, the techniques provide mechanism for codeworddetermination, reuse, and assignment of appropriate codeword to the UEgroups comprising of multiple UE's, thereby supporting larger number ofUE's in the coverage area (exceeding the limited number of codewords).

The techniques further facilitate mobility of large number of UE'swithin coverage area, and base station power control through selectivesignal multiplexing. The techniques enable optimal power use by BS bysignal power management for different UE's so as to achieve optimalservice level for all UE's in the coverage area. The techniques furtherprovide for accurate signal power transmission supporting multiple MCSsimultaneously, in a wireless communication network while minimizingSINR among UE's in the proximity. The transmission of signal by BS isbased on appropriate assignment of UE codeword leading to effectivecell-average and cell-edge throughput for each UE in a multi-antennascenario.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the techniques,described in the various embodiments discussed above, may findapplication in at least 5G wireless communication, successiveinterference cancellation, and power domain signal multiplexing amongother applications.

The specification has described system and method for providing animproved NOMA in a communication network. The illustrated steps are setout to explain the exemplary embodiments shown, and it should beanticipated that ongoing technological development will change themanner in which particular functions are performed. These examples arepresented herein for purposes of illustration, and not limitation.Further, the boundaries of the functional building blocks have beenarbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of the description.Alternative boundaries can be defined so long as the specified functionsand relationships thereof are appropriately performed. Alternatives(including equivalents, extensions, variations, deviations, etc., ofthose described herein) will be apparent to persons skilled in therelevant art(s) based on the teachings contained herein. Suchalternatives fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosedembodiments.

Furthermore, one or more computer-readable storage media may be utilizedin implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. Acomputer-readable storage medium refers to any type of physical memoryon which information or data readable by a processor may be stored.Thus, a computer-readable storage medium may store instructions forexecution by one or more processors, including instructions for causingthe processor(s) to perform steps or stages consistent with theembodiments described herein. The term “computer-readable medium” shouldbe understood to include tangible items and exclude carrier waves andtransient signals, i.e., be non-transitory. Examples include randomaccess memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), volatile memory,nonvolatile memory, hard drives, CD ROMs, DVDs, flash drives, disks, andany other known physical storage media.

It is intended that the disclosure and examples be considered asexemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of disclosed embodimentsbeing indicated by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for providing an improved Non-OrthogonalMultiple Access (NOMA) in a wireless communication network, the methodcomprising: dynamically creating, by a base station (BS), a plurality ofuser equipment (UE) groups within a network coverage area based on areference signal received power (RSRP) at each UE and at least one of amodulation coding scheme (MCS) for each UE and a mobility of each UE,wherein each of the plurality of UE groups comprises a plurality ofUE's, and wherein the BS receives the RSRP at a given UE from the givenUE; determining, by the BS, an appropriate codeword for each of theplurality of UE groups, wherein determining the appropriate codeword fora given UE group comprises determining a co-relation of a codeword foreach UE in the given UE group with a codeword for each of the other UE'sin the given UE group based on a commonality for the RSRP at each UE inthe given UE group and at least one of the MCS for each UE in the givenUE group and the mobility state of each UE in the given UE group; andassigning, by the BS, the appropriate codeword to each of the pluralityof UE groups.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising initializingthe BS with a plurality of configuration parameters.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the plurality of UE groups are dynamically created at apre-configured periodic interval.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein theplurality of UE groups are dynamically created upon admission of a newUE into the network coverage area or upon exit of an existing UE fromthe network coverage area.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein dynamicallycreating the plurality of UE groups comprises determining a validity ofeach of the plurality of UE groups based on a change in at least one ofthe MCS for each UE, the RSRP at each UE, and the mobility of each UE ineach of the plurality of UE groups.
 6. The method of claim 5, furthercomprising determining an appropriateness of each of the plurality ofvalid UE groups based on a change in the appropriate codeword for eachUE in each of the plurality of valid UE groups.
 7. The method of claim1, wherein dynamically creating the plurality of UE groups comprises:determining a number of UE's within the network coverage area;categorizing at least one of a MCS level, a power level of the basestation, and a mobility state; determining at least one of the MCS foreach UE, the RSRP at each UE, the mobility of each UE; and dynamicallycreating the plurality of UE groups based on a commonality of at leastone of the MCS level, the power level of the base station, and themobility state.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining theappropriate codeword comprises determining a plurality of availablecodewords from a codebook.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein determiningthe correlation comprises determining a maximum co-relation of acodeword for each UE in the given UE group with a codeword for each ofthe other UE's in the given UE group, and wherein the maximumco-relation corresponds to a minimum difference in codeword patterns.10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining and assigning theappropriate codeword is further based on a signal to interference noiseratio (SINR) of each of the UE in the given UE group.
 11. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: determining a signal power for each of theplurality of UE groups based on the corresponding appropriate codeword;and allocating the signal power to each of the plurality of UE groups,and wherein allocating the signal power to a given UE group comprises:transmitting the signal power to each UE within the given UE group; andvalidating a signal power received at each UE within the given UE groupbased on a preconfigured threshold RSRP.
 12. The method of claim 11,wherein validating the signal power comprises: determining a deviationof the signal power received at each UE within the given UE group fromthe signal power determined for the given UE group; and comparing thedeviation against the pre-configured threshold RSRP.
 13. A devicecomprising: at least one processor; and a memory for storinginstructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causethe at least one processor to perform operations comprising: dynamicallycreating a plurality of user equipment (UE) groups within a networkcoverage area based on a reference signal received power (RSRP) at eachUE and at least one of a modulation coding scheme (MCS) for each UE anda mobility of each UE, wherein each of the plurality of UE groupscomprises a plurality of UE's, and wherein the BS receives the RSRP at agiven UE from the given UE; determining an appropriate codeword for eachof the plurality of UE groups, wherein determining the appropriatecodeword for a given UE group comprises determining a co-relation of acodeword for each UE in the given UE group with a codeword for each ofthe other UE's in the given UE group based on a commonality for the RSRPat each UE in the given UE group and at least one of the MCS for each UEin the given UE group and the mobility state of each UE in the given UEgroup; and assigning the appropriate codeword to each of the pluralityof UE groups.
 14. The device of claim 13, wherein the plurality of UEgroups are dynamically created at a pre-configured periodic interval, orupon admission of a new UE into the network coverage area, or upon exitof an existing UE from the network coverage area.
 15. The device ofclaim 13, wherein dynamically creating the plurality of UE groupscomprises: determining a validity of each of the plurality of UE groupsbased on a change in at least one of the MCS for each UE, the RSRP ateach UE, and the mobility of each UE in each of the plurality of UEgroups; and determining an appropriateness of each of the plurality ofvalid UE groups based on a change in the appropriate codeword for eachUE in each of the plurality of valid UE groups.
 16. The device of claim13, wherein dynamically creating the plurality of UE groups comprises:determining a number of UE's within the network coverage area;categorizing at least one of a MCS level, a power level of the basestation, and a mobility state; determining at least one of the MCS foreach UE, the RSRP at each UE, the mobility of each UE; and dynamicallycreating the plurality of UE groups based on a commonality of at leastone of the MCS level, the power level of the base station, and themobility state.
 17. The device of claim 13, wherein determining theappropriate codeword comprises: determining a plurality of availablecodewords from a codebook.
 18. The device of claim 13, whereindetermining and assigning the appropriate codeword is further based on asignal to interference noise ratio (SINR) of each of UE in the given UEgroup.
 19. The device of claim 13, wherein one or more operationsfurther comprise: determining a signal power for each of the pluralityof UE groups based on the corresponding appropriate codeword; andallocating the signal power to each of the plurality of UE groups,wherein allocating the signal power to a given UE group comprises:transmitting the signal power to each UE within the given UE group; andvalidating a signal power received at each UE within the given UE groupbased on a preconfigured threshold RSRP, wherein validating comprises:determining a deviation of the signal power received at each UE withinthe given UE group from the signal power determined for the given UEgroup; and comparing the deviation against the pre-configured thresholdRSRP.
 20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructionsfor providing an improved Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) in awireless communication network, wherein upon execution of theinstructions by one or more processors, the one or more processorsperform operations comprising: dynamically creating a plurality of userequipment (UE) groups within a network coverage area based on areference signal received power (RSRP) at each UE and at least one of amodulation coding scheme (MCS) for each UE and a mobility of each UE,wherein each of the plurality of UE groups comprises a plurality ofUE's, and wherein the BS receives the RSRP at a given UE from the givenUE; determining an appropriate codeword for each of the plurality of UEgroups, wherein determining the appropriate codeword for a given UEgroup comprises determining a co-relation of a codeword for each UE inthe given UE group with a codeword for each of the other UE's in thegiven UE group based on a commonality for the RSRP at each UE in thegiven UE group and at least one of the MCS for each UE in the given UEgroup and the mobility state of each UE in the given UE group; andassigning the appropriate codeword to each of the plurality of UEgroups.
 21. A method for providing an improved Non-Orthogonal MultipleAccess (NOMA) in a wireless communication network, the methodcomprising: dynamically creating, by a base station (BS), a plurality ofuser equipment (UE) groups within a network coverage area based on areference signal received power (RSRP) at each UE, wherein each of theplurality of UE groups comprises a plurality of UE's, and wherein the BSreceives the RSRP at a given UE from the given UE; determining, by theBS, an appropriate codeword for each of the plurality of UE groups,wherein determining the appropriate codeword for a given UE groupcomprises determining a co-relation of a codeword for each UE in thegiven UE group with a codeword for each of the other UE's in the givenUE group based on a commonality for at least one of the RSRP at each UEin the given UE group, a modulation coding scheme (MCS) for each UE inthe given UE group, and a mobility state of each UE in the given UEgroup, and wherein the BS determines the MCS for a given UE and themobility stated of the given UE based on inputs received from the givenUE; and assigning, by the BS, the appropriate codeword to each of theplurality of UE groups, wherein assigning a given appropriate codewordto a given UE group comprises assigning the given appropriate codewordto each of the plurality of UE's in the given UE group.